Second Hand

by Helen Dring

In the end, Hanne’s world crashed down around her quicker than she had expected. She could hear the thunder of the boots as they burst into the library, holding her breath from the small storeroom where she hid. Shivering from the barked orders and the crashing in the background, she remembered there had been no guarantees in hiding here. Even though her Father’s presence was stitched into the walls of the library, she had known it would not be safe forever. Outside the door she could hear the steps approaching, and she took enough to time to breathe in sharply, and run her fingers over the locket he had given her. The door burst open, and as she breathed out she let her eyes fix upon the uniformed man in front of her, ready for what was coming.